Jumanji - The New Game
by Jeremy Ray Logsdon
Summary: The exciting consequences of this game will not vanish until the player has reached Jumanji and called out its name...


_**Disclaimer :** I do not own Power Rangers. I also do not own the game of Jumanji, or any related concepts. Some of the rhymes were courtesy of the movie; others were made by me. I have also elected to spell the name of Andros' sister as Karone. I chose this based on my study of linguistics, and this is the version that seems most accurate to me. A little bad of bad language, some violence, but I only rate it PG._   


###  Jumanji - The New Game  
by : Jeremy Ray Logsdon

Karone ran her fingers across the engraved image on top of the box. "Mother and father said this game is from Earth," Karone told her older brother, Andros. "It's called... Je-... Ju-..." 

"Jumanji," Andros read. "Wanna play?" 

"Yeah," Karone said excitedly. The box was made of wood, and the top was split down the center. Each half opened to the side, revealing a playing surface plus side panels. There were four trails on the playing surface that led to a circle of dark green glass in the center. All along the side panels were instructions. "Can you read Earth?" Karone asked. 

"It's called English, and yes I can," Andros said. "It's the same thing we speak, it's just written all different. See, right here it says, 'A game for those who seek to find a way to leave their world behind.'" 

"Neat!" Karone cried. "What else does it say?" 

"'Adventurers beware,'" Andros read. "'Do not begin unless you intend to finish. The exciting consequences of the game will vanish only when a player has reached Jumanji and called out its name.'" Suddenly, the rhythmic pounding of ceremonial drums sounded. 

"Ohhh," Karone sighed happily. "Let's play it Andros! Let's play it!" She held her hands over the game for a second, and then complained, "It's not working!" 

"That's because it's not a telekinesis game," Andros told her. He opened a wooden drawer on one of the side panels and removed two carved playing pieces, one white and one black. "Look, alien animals! And these little white square things. Mother told me what they were called, but I forgot. Lice, or something." 

"Let me see those little animals," Karone insisted. Andros moved to hand them to her, but as soon as they fell from his hand, they were immediately snapped to the game board. They spun in circles around the game board, finally coming to rest at opposite corners. "I thought it was telekinesis!" Karone cried, clapping her hands. 

"Oh, they're called dice," Andros said, pointing to a side panel he hadn't read. "'You roll your dice to move your token. First player to reach the end, wins.'" He handed Karone the crudely carved dice and said, "You can go first." 

She smiled happily, and tossed the dice onto the board. "Three dots, and six dots," she said. "What does that mean?" 

"I dunno," Andros said with a shrug. "Hey, look at that." He pointed at the circle in the center. Yellow fog was shining beneath the surface, and the fog was quickly coalescing into words. Meanwhile, her white token was sliding along her path, stopping after it had moved nine spaces. 

"What does it say Andros?" Karone asked. "It's in those weird Earth letters." 

"Until the dice read three of three," Andros read, and then he paused. 

"What else?" Karone asked. 

"Until the dice read three of three, the side of evil claimeth thee," Andros finished. "I don't want to play this weird game anymore." 

"It's a stupid boring game, anyhow," Karone said. "Let's play with the Tele-Ball." 

Andros shut the game board and moved it aside. He pulled the segmented Tele-Ball from his knapsack and held it out in front of him. Karone put her hands up, palms forward, and Andros did the same. They both projected their telekinetic energies, and the ball expanded, reflecting their combined powers. Andros reached out and gave it a mechanical spin, but then it skittered away from them. "I'll get it!" he volunteered. 

The figure in the shadows watched, silently. "The side of evil claimeth thee," a personification of Jumanji whispered happily. It strode toward Karone, but she saw it before it had wanted her too. It was too late to do anything, however, so it stretched its hands out. Invisible dark energy flowed from its hands, bridging the gap between them. The dark energy reached into Karone's soul, quickly transforming her childlike innocence into a hideous evil essence. She opened her mouth and screamed as she felt the evil invade her. "Andros!" she finally screamed, but by the time the words were formed, it was too late. The side of evil had claimed her. Jumanji's personification picked her up, and hurried off. 

"Karone!" Andros asked, running to their play spot. He caught a glimpse of a black form leaving, but Karone was already gone. "Karone?!" he cried, dropping the Tele-Ball. The drums from before thumped rhythmically, and then all was silent.   
  


* * *

  


**Twelve Earth Years Later**

"I'll be very glad to get back to Earth," TJ said. "I miss my family." 

"Don't you think it's going to be more than a little awkward just sitting around with your parents, them knowing that you are the Blue Space Ranger?" Ashley asked, referring to the fact that all four Earth Rangers had told their families the truth before leaving for space. 

"Well," TJ said with a shrug, "what can you do? I'm gonna go to the Holodeck for a swim. Catch ya later?" 

"Yeah, I'm gonna go down to the storage bay and rummage around," Ashley said. "See ya." TJ walked off, and Ashley continued her trek down to the bowels of the MegaShip. Though there was nothing of real value or importance down there, one could often find many interesting things to pass the time.   
  


* * *

  


Ashley's hand rested on the storage cubicle. Her heart pounded with excitement; she knew she had just heard jungle drums. She reached into the storage cubicle, and when her hand brushed against a hard object, the drums sounded again. "Coolness," Ashley whispered as she pulled the hard object out of the storage cubicle. 

"Jumanji," she read, her hands trailing across the raised letters on the surface of the box. She opened the box and touched the ornate carvings inside. Every detail of the box appeared to have been carved by hand. "It's a board game," she whispered to herself. There were two playing tokens standing on the board. One was white and carved in the shape of a rhinoceros, although it was standing upright and on its haunches. There was also a black token in one corner of the playing surface. "It's an alligator," Ashley mused. "This is unbelievable." 

There was a small wooden compartment at the bottom of one of the side panels. Opening it, she found two more tokens, a brown one carved in the shape of a monkey and a gray token carved in the shape of an elephant. "Whoever made this put a lot of work into it," Ashley said, placing the two extra tokens back in their compartment. She tried to move the rhinoceros, but it was seemingly fused with the board. The alligator was in a similar predicament. 

"You roll the dice to move your token, doubles get another turn. The first player to reach the end wins," Ashley read. Also in the wooden compartment was a pair of crudely carved dice. Just as she was about to roll the dice, D.E.C.A. announced, "All Rangers on deck. We are approaching Earth for a three week lay-over. We will arrive in approximately fifteen minutes. I repeat, all Rangers on deck." 

Ashley placed the dice back in their wooden compartment and closed the box. The game had already proven itself far too interesting to just put back in the storage compartment to collect space dust for another few decades.   
  


* * *

  


Zack Taylor entered the nearly empty Surf Spot with a frown on his face. "How could they have done this?" he complained. 

"Done what, hun?" a matronly black woman asked as soon as he passed her. 

"They changed the Youth Center!" Zack protested. "I can't believe it. Whoever did this should be shot!" 

"That would be me, and I'm allergic to bullets," the woman said. "M'names Adelle." 

Zack blushed slightly and chuckled a saving laugh. "Sorry," he said. "Zack Taylor. I used to come here in its hey day, back when Ernie run the place." 

"Oh yeah, I remember Ernie," Adelle said. "Big happy man. He sold to Lt. Stone when he had to go to the Amazon." 

"Yeah, Jase told me about that," Zack muttered, mostly to himself. 

"Then, Lt. Stone got tired of it and decided to go back to the force. I bought it, and the Youth Center had already changed beyond recognition, so I decided to rename it and remake it," Adelle explained. "Now go sit down, get a taste of some of my food, and after you've had a look around, if you still don't like it, then I'll listen to you." 

Zack couldn't help but smile as Adelle handed him a menu. Still smiling, he made his way to a table that was located in the general vicinity of where his old table had been.   
  


* * *

  


"Are you sure, Ashley?" Andros asked. 

"Very sure," she said. "You go ahead and let Cassie take you to the mall. I'm just gonna wait here until my parents get home." 

"You're sure?" he asked again. 

"Go," Ashley insisted. Andros shrugged as he left, leaving Ashley alone with her knapsack. She pulled out Jumanji, just to admire the carved game. She then noticed that a handsome, older teenager was staring at her intently. She looked behind her to see if he was possibly staring at someone behind her, but he wasn't. His gaze was locked on her. Actually, she realized, his gaze was locked on her wrist. She glanced at her wrist, and seeing that there was nothing there but her yellow communicator, looked back up just as he approached her table. 

"Hi," he said cautiously. "My name is Zack Taylor, and... well, I couldn't help but notice... your watch." 

"Oh, I couldn't tell you where I got it," Ashley said. "It was a gift." 

"Oh no, that's not what I'm getting at. Well, you see... I had a black com... watch, just like that, and a bald relative of mine named... Zordon, gave it to me," Zack said warily. 

Ashley smiled as his name clicked into place. "Zack Taylor," she whispered, "the original Black Power Ranger. I'm Ashley Hammond." In a much lower voice, she added, "Current Yellow Space Ranger." 

"Anybody on the team I might remember?" Zack asked. 

"Please, sit down," Ashley encouraged. "Uhm... I doubt it. Not too long ago, four guys left and four new guys came on. And we just recently had a new addition." 

Suddenly, the rhythmic pounding of jungle drums sounded. Zack perked up, and looked around in confusion. "You hear that?" Ashley asked. 

"How could I not?" Zack asked. 

"No one else has been able to hear it but me," Ashley said. "I thought maybe I was going nuts. See, look around." Although it was late and the Surf Spot was nearly empty, the few people present did not seem to hear the drums. "I think it's coming from this game." As soon as she opened it up the drums stopped. "Wanna play?" Ashley asked, getting the brown monkey token out of the wooden compartment. 

"Yeah, what the heck," Zack agreed. "I don't have anything better to do." 

"You go first, or...?" Ashley asked. 

"Go ahead and roll," Zack said. 

"Here goes," Ashley said, rolling the wooden dice. "Four." 

"Check that out," Zack said in awe, pointing at her black alligator token which moved by itself four spaces. 

"Look at that," Ashley breathed, pointing to the green circle in the center. The yellow fog drifted up from beneath it, forming letters that were seemingly floating on water. 

"They grow much faster than bamboo, take care or they'll come after you," Zack read slowly. "Do we have to solve it, or what?" 

"I dunno," Ashley shrugged. Suddenly, a piece of plaster fell into the center of the board. They both looked up in time to see several green vines growing through the ceiling. "Zack...," Ashley said nervously. 

Suddenly, the sprinkler system turned on, showering the entire room with cold water. "What's going on?" Zack asked in disbelief. 

"The floor," Ashley said, pointing to a spot not far from them. The tiles were buckling up as the green vines began to grow up through the floor. 

"All right, everybody!" Adelle shouted. "Let's head outside. We'll call the fire department and have them come check the system." 

The few people in the Surf Spot were laughing and joking as they hurried out, getting completely soaked. "You don't suppose...," Zack said, motioning toward the game. 

"The game did it?" Ashley asked. "No... that's ridiculous. Isn't it?"   
  


* * *

  


"Look, this is just an ordinary game," Ashley said. 

"Oh yeah, floating words in a piece of glass and game pieces that move by themselves is very ordinary," Zack said sarcastically. 

"That's more believable than a game that can control reality!" Ashley cried. She quickly lowered her voice and said, "You roll the dice, and that'll prove that those... vines in there were just a coincidence." 

"Fine," Zack said. He took the game board from her and walked over to his car. He set the game on the hood and opened it. "Are you sure you want me to roll the dice." 

Ashley crossed her arms across her chest and cocked her head. "Giving me one last out?" 

"Something like that," Zack admitted. 

"Just roll," Ashley said. 

"Six," Zack said after rolling the dice. 

"What does the circle say?" Ashley asked. His monkey token slid six spaces as the magical words appeared in the green circle. 

"They slither and creep in unexpected places," Zack read, "beware their bite, it seldom graces." 

"Sounds like, AAAHHH!" Ashley screamed. "Zack!" 

Zack screamed as well as he jumped back from his car. A snake was crawling up onto the sidewalk from beneath his car. "I told you!" Zack cried. "I told you it was real!" 

"What do we do?!" Ashley asked. Snakes were suddenly crawling all over his car, sliding through the open window and on the ground. 

"We have to get the game," Zack said. 

"I say we just get the hell out of here!" Ashley cried. 

"The exciting consequences of the game will disappear only when a player has reached Jumanji and called out its name," Zack reminded her. 

"Fine. Then just go get the game," Ashley said, giving him a gentle nudge in the direction of the car. 

"Me?" Zack protested. "Why me? You're the Power Ranger!" 

"You're the guy!" Ashley countered. 

"That is SO sexist!" 

"All right, I'll play you for it," Ashley said, curling her hand into a fist. 

"Deal," Zack agreed. "One, two, three, shoot!" Zack's hand was paused in the shape of scissors, and Ashley's in a rock. 

"Aw darn," Zack said. "Rock beats scissors, you win. You get to get it." 

"Right," Ashley said with a sarcastic nod. "Go get the game." 

"Fine," Zack whined. Zack stepped up on the sidewalk and cautiously walked over to his car. Snakes of all sizes and colors were slithering on the ground beside the vehicle. 

"Be careful," Ashley warned nervously. Zack nodded in agreement as he stood directly in front of the car. He waited just a moment, and then stretched out with both hands. He grabbed the game and pulled it to him. He jumped backwards, closing it in the process. "Now was that so hard?" 

"What are we honestly going to do?" Zack asked. 

"We just have to play," Ashley said. She then paused, and said, "I have an idea, though. We should probably get a third player, somebody who actually knows about animals and stuff like that." 

"You know of someone?" 

"As a matter of fact, I do," Ashley announced.   
  


* * *

  


"KAGV, Golden Oldies!" the commercial sang. 

"Well guys, it's been real, but I gotta head outta here," Tanya Sloan said into her microphone. "But hey, I've got Nighttime Ned here to carry you through midnight." 

"Why thank you, Tanya," Nighttime Ned said. "We've got some good music lined up for the night." 

"Well, that's KAGV for you," Tanya said with a smile. "Playing the top hits of the fifties and sixties, twenty-four, seven. So Ned, I'm passing the torch over to you, but don't worry, I'll hit the airwaves again tomorrow afternoon from 2 to 7 p.m." 

"I'm gonna start my shift with the 'Purple People Eater,'" the DJ announced. With that, the song began to play. 

"Thanks Ned," Tanya smiled. The two said their goodbyes, and Tanya left the soundproof room. 

"Tanya," Ashley said as she hurried up to her friend. 

"Ashley!" Tanya cried, automatically hugging her successor. "How are things going with you?" 

"Good," Ashley said. "Pretty good. I'd like you to meet a new friend of mine, Zack Taylor." 

"Zack Taylor," Tanya mused, turning to see the other teen. Then, the realization hit her. "Oh! Jase's friend! From the... start!" 

"Yeah," Zack said, smiling all over himself. "It's very nice to meet you." 

"You too," Tanya agreed. "So, is this a social call?" 

"Not exactly," Ashley said, holding up the board game. "Ever hear of Jumanji?" A sudden pounding of the Jumanji drums filled the immediate vicinity.   
  


* * *

  


"Please Tanya, we need your help!" Ashley pleaded. "We don't know ANYTHING about jungle... stuff." 

"I'm from the Savannah," Tanya said noncommittally as she walked toward her car. 

"Tanya, please don't make us beg," Zack said. 

"Did you ever think that maybe it was just a coincidence with the snakes?" 

"I'll make you a deal," Ashley tried, hurrying in front of Tanya to block her. "Roll the dice one time. If whatever it says doesn't happen, then you can forget about playing, and Zack and I will take care of it." 

"I'd really rather not," Tanya said as sweetly as she could. 

"If you do it that way, you won't feel bad about standing us up later tonight," Zack tried, playing on what little he knew about Tanya from Jason. He was trying to get her from an honorable standpoint. 

Tanya sighed and relented, "All right, just so you'll give this up. What do I do?" Ashley sat down on the sidewalk and opened the game. 

"You get to be the elephant," Ashley told her with a smile as she removed the dark gray token from the wooden compartment. "Watch this." She dropped the token on the board, and it magically spun into the only empty corner. 

"Magnets?" Tanya asked as she knelt beside her. 

"I think it's magic," Zack said with a smile. 

"Just roll the dice, and some word will appear in the circle," Ashley informed her after handing her the dice. 

"I can't believe you all talked me into this," Tanya said as she rolled the dice. "I haven't played a board game in..." As the yellow fog in the green circle began to coalesce into words and her token slid the seven spaces the dice dictated, she found that she was all talked out. "How is that-?" 

"Magic," Zack reminded her. "Read." 

"They collect trophies, their payment is due, you should run before they come for you," Tanya read. "What does that mean?" 

"The first clue was about something growing, and those plants started growing in the Youth Center," Ashley said. 

"The second clue was... slither and creep in unexpected places, beware the bite, something something graces," Zack continued. "Snakes. What does this tell us?" 

"They collect trophies, their payment is due," Tanya said, as the realization hit her. With a wry chuckle, she said, "Reminds me of the headhunters on _Gilligan's Island._" 

"Oh my God," Ashley groaned as she stood up. "Headhunters?" 

"You can't actually be serious?" Tanya asked. Suddenly, a rhythmic drumming filled the air. An arrow whizzed past Tanya so close it made her hair stir. It hit the front tire of her blazer. She spun around in her kneeling position and saw a small band of about five dark skinned natives in animal skins. 

"Run!" Zack bellowed. Ashley slammed the box shut and tucked it under her arm as Tanya jumped to her feet. "Come on!" Zack demanded, pulling Tanya up onto the sidewalk. The three teens took off running with the headhunters in close pursuit. The sound of their drums escorted the teens as they ran into the night.   
  


* * *

  


"I think we lost them," Zack said, trying to catch his breath. The trio had made it deep into the business district where they were surrounded by tall buildings which no doubt greatly confused and perhaps frightened the headhunters. 

"I can't believe this is happening," Tanya sighed, leaning against a street light for support. 

"We certainly have to finish now," Ashley said. "We've got headhunters in Angel Grove." 

"What good will finishing the game do?" Tanya asked, closing her eyes and tilting her head back as she exhaled a long breath. 

"The exciting consequences of the game will end only when a player has reached Jumanji and called out its name," Zack explained. "So let's hurry and get this thing finished." 

"It's my turn," Ashley said. She sat down on the curb and opened the game beside her. She rolled an eight, but nothing happened. Her token didn't move, and no words appeared in the circle. "It didn't work," she said. She rolled again, but nothing happened. 

"Let me try," Zack volunteered, taking the dice. 

"Did you roll doubles?" Ashley asked Tanya as Zack rolled the dice. 

Before Tanya could answer, a purple glimmer appeared before them. "It isn't working because it isn't your turn," the woman who had appeared in the purple glimmer said. 

"Astronema!" Ashley cried, leaping to her feet and taking a defensive stance. 

"I'm not here to fight you, Ashley," Astronema said. The beautiful woman's hair was currently curly and bluish-purple, as it had been when Ashley had first seen her. "I'm here to play the game." 

"Pardon?" Tanya asked. 

"You see that white token? Well, that's mine. I started playing this game about twelve Earth years ago with my brother," Astronema explained. "It's my turn." 

"You're Andros' sister," Ashley said in shock. 

"Well, duh," Astronema said sarcastically. "Look, I'm not even going to lie to you. I'm playing for my own selfish reasons that just aren't important right now. Would you give me the dice, please?" 

"Hold on a second," Zack retorted, cupping the dice in his hand. "You're... who?" 

"Astronema," she answered. 

"Royal pain in the butt," Ashley answered. 

Astronema merely lifted her eyebrows at that. "The fact is, it's my turn. And there is NO way around it. So you either let me play, or no one plays." Her voice carried a child-like innocence with a knowing lilt to it. Just the sound of her voice alone was addictive, but when that was combined with her beautiful face, it was extremely hard to believe that the woman was a villain. 

"Why would you care?" Tanya asked. 

"Until the dice read three of three, the side of evil claimeth thee," Astronema said. "That was my roll. And look what it did for me. It gave me a wealth of power. Who knows what else is resting inside that game? If I win, it's mine for the taking. The dice, please?" 

"We don't really have much of a choice," Zack commented. 

"Give her the dice," Ashley agreed. 

"Good boy," Astronema purred as Zack handed her the dice. She shook them in her hand for a second, and then let them tumble across the board. "Three, bleh." 

"What's it say?" Tanya asked, looking over Ashley's shoulder at the board. 

"They'll trample you beneath their feet, you better move or you're dead meat," Astronema read. A frown crossed her face, and she asked, "Well, what the hell does that mean?" 

"Stampede," Ashley said in horror. Suddenly, a distant rumbling could be heard. 

"It sounds like thunder," Zack said. A cacophony of car horns and human screams accompanied it. 

"I ain't never heard thunder scare people like that," Tanya remarked. 

"Look!" Ashley cried, pointing at the farthest intersection. A literal crowd of animals was filling the street and sidewalk to the maximum. Fortunately, it was well past rush hour and the street was the for the most part empty, but the few people out were running for their lives. Elephants, giraffes, zebra, rhinoceroses, and dozens more were stampeding down the street. 

"All right," Tanya said calmly. "You wanted me to play because I know about animals. Here's lesson one. When a bunch of animals are stampeding, you run!" That being said, she grabbed the game, slammed the lid shut, and took off running down the sidewalk. 

Ashley and Zack were close behind. Astronema looked at the animals for a second longer, and then she turned and walked away. "Astronema!" Zack called as she rounded the corner. The three teenagers were standing a short distance away. They were currently in the town square. 

"They'll go straight," Tanya explained to Ashley. "The animals will go straight unless something forces them to turn. We'll be okay here." True to her word, the multitude of animals went straight through the intersection. 

"This should prove to be a fun night, now won't it?" Astronema asked gleefully, rubbing her hands together. 

"Look, let's just hurry and get the game over with," Zack encouraged. "Ashley, it's your turn." 

"Right," Ashley said, kneeling on the sidewalk as Tanya opened the game before her. Astronema, Ashley's current mortal enemy, knelt with the three teenagers as though her being there was perfectly normal. "Here goes," Ashley said as the dice tumbled from her hand and landed on the playing board. The dice knocked together before finally stopping to read eleven. "Woo hoo! That was a good move!" Ashley cried happily. 

Astronema read, "You better run because we're faster than you, we have legs of eight, you have legs of two." 

"Spiders!" Zack cried, leaping to his feet. "I hate spiders!" Just then, he felt something on his shoulder. With a pure scream of terror, he grabbed a hairy tarantula from his shoulder and threw it aside. 

Tanya screamed as an unrealistically large spider scurried down the sidewalk. Its body was the size of a basketball, and it was supported on long, thin legs. "Eeew," Astronema said. She used the wide end of her staff, shaped like a diamond, and knocked the spider away. 

"They're coming out of everywhere!" Ashley shrieked as a swarm of spiders crawled up on the sidewalk from a nearby drain. 

"These are called spiders?" Astronema asked as she brought a booted foot down on top of a particularly fat one. 

"Oh God, oh God," Zack repeated, over and over. "I don't like spiders... I really don't like spiders..." 

"It'll be okay... Zack," Ashley said as she knocked a spider off of his back. 

"We need to get out of here," Astronema insisted. A red ball of energy coalesced around the end of her staff. She pointed it at the undulating carpet of spiders moving toward her, and flames burst forth, incinerating the creatures. 

"Ungh," Tanya complained as she plucked a tarantula from the center of the game board. She slammed the box shut and darted into the middle of the street where the spiders were the fewest. 

"Whose turn is it?" Astronema asked as she strode toward the game. 

"How on earth can you be so casual about this?" Ashley snapped. 

"Pardon?" Astronema asked, turning her head at a slight angle which made the silver baubles on her headband clang against each other. 

"You just show up and want to play this supernatural game with us?" Ashley continued. 

"I had to," Astronema said. "It's not like I want to be fraternizing with you Power Rangers. Trust me, Ashley, my motives are anything but pure. Again I ask, whose turn is it?" 

"It's mine," Zack said. He and Tanya were kneeling in the center of the street, as far away from the spiders as they could get. As Ashley and Astronema made their way over to them, Zack quickly traced the path to the center of the board, and saw that he still had twenty-four more spaces to move. Assuming he should get twelve, it would still take two more revolutions around the group and eight more attacks from the supernatural game. Groaning, he tossed the dice onto the board. "Seven." As his token moved along the board, the words that were always dreaded appeared in the green circle. He read, "In blackest night they hunt their prey, from the deepest jungle they've returned today." 

"The sun has set!" Tanya cried. "We have to get out of here, now!" 

"What is it?" Ashley asked. 

"Run!" Astronema shrieked as she saw what the game predicted leap out of a store window, sending shards of glass clinking to the sidewalk. It was a gargantuan black jaguar. It gave a short bark of a roar, and then it began to run toward the four players. 

"Oh my God!" Ashley cried, jumping to her feet. Astronema closed the game and tucked it under her arm. She displayed her true selfish nature as she bolted away, leaving Zack, Tanya, and Ashley in her wake. However, they were close behind her. They had a pretty substantial lead on the jaguar, Zack and Tanya especially, although Ashley wasn't far behind. 

Suddenly, a giant snake slithered out in front of Ashley. With a cry of alarm, she tried to dart aside, but she misstepped. Her feet crumpled beneath her, and she fell to the pavement. She heard the jaguar stop running. Instead, it stopped still and just looked at her. 

"Ashley!" Zack cried. 

"Don't move!" Tanya encouraged. 

"What happens if she dies?" Astronema asked. "Do we just keep on playing the game... or what?" 

A lion trotted up on the other side of Ashley, leaving her trapped between two carnivores and a giant snake. "WE HAVE TO DISTRACT THE CATS!!!" Tanya yelled, jumping up and down. 

"HEY KITTY KITTY KITTY KITTY KITTY!" Zack yelled. Neither the lion or the jaguar paid them heed. Instead, they began to slowly creep toward the fallen teen. 

"Ashley!" Astronema cried. "Three, three, five!" 

It took Ashley a moment to realize what Astronema had said. Then, she realized that Astronema was encouraging her to morph. _Of course. Cats can't kill a Power Ranger._ She started to twist her left wrist to summon her morpher, but she was afraid the yellow glimmer would only spur them to attack her. It wouldn't take much, either. The lion was the farthest from her, and he was only about ten feet. To make matters worse, a grumbling tiger shuffled up to them. 

Ashley slowly slid her right hand up her thigh. She was going to have to be quick. Steeling herself up, she quickly twisted her left hand. The yellow glimmer of light did alert the felines, and simultaneously, they all leapt for her. Lightning quick, Ashley flipped her morpher open and didn't even look at the keypad as she hit what she hoped was 3-3-5-EJ. 

Yellow light flared up all around her, and the giant cats immediately stopped. "Get outta here!" Ashley shouted, firing her Power Blaster at the ground by their feet. They roared their disapproval but left nonetheless. 

"Oh wow," Tanya said as Ashley rejoined them. "Cool armor. I hadn't got to see the new Space Rangers yet." 

Ashley removed the helmet and shook her hair free. "Do you think I should stay morphed?" 

"At least in stand-by," Zack said. "Never know when we might need it." 

"There are still cats around here," Astronema informed them. Her eyes were locked on a trio of the black carnivores in a dark alley. 

"Let's get indoors," Tanya suggested.   
  


* * *

  


The quartet broke into a department store not far from the town square. Astronema, who was the one who had blasted the lock on the door open with a well-placed blast from her staff, led the way into the room. "Here's a spot," she said, motioning to a chest-high counter that was actually the customer service desk. 

"It's my turn," Tanya said. With slightly trembling hands, she picked up the dice and tossed them onto the board. 

"Ten," Astronema rumbled. "Good move." 

"The water comes, and they do, too," Ashley read, "take care or they'll get a taste of you." 

"What does that- aah!" Tanya cried as buckets of water began to pour down on top of them. 

"Where is it coming from?" Zack asked, shielding his eyes as he attempted to look up. The water was just flowing from the ceiling. 

"They do, too," Astronema said, closing the game. "Who is 'they?'" 

In a matter of seconds, the water in the store was ankle deep and rapidly rising. "At least it's clean water," Tanya said optimistically as she walked towards the front doors. A literal waterfall appeared in front of the doors, blocking them from leaving the store. The water rushed toward her, reaching to her knees. Water continued to rain down from the ceiling, rapidly increasing the depth. 

"We've got to find a way out!" Zack shouted over the roar of the rushing water. 

"You're- OW!" Tanya suddenly cried. She spun around, causing a red plume to spread out beneath the water around her. A small four-inch fish darted for her exposed calf again, taking another tiny chunk of flesh. She brought her foot down through the water and stomped the small fish. "They're piranhas! Get out of the water!" She leapt to the top of a cash register counter as a swarm of the small fish swam for her. 

Only Ashley, protected by her armored boots, remained in the water. Zack and Astronema both climbed atop counters of their own as the water began to reach waist level. 

"Roll the dice!" Ashley shouted as she hurried over to Astronema. 

"Right," Astronema agreed. She quickly opened the game and tossed the dice. It promptly landed on two, snake eyes. "Dammit!" she cursed angrily as her token slid a measly two spaces closer to Jumanji. 

"What does it say?" Ashley asked. 

"With teeth and claws so very sharp, they're from the past through a time warp," Astronema read. "Do you know what that means?" 

Suddenly, a loud rumbling filled the air. "Is it another stampede?!" Zack shouted. 

"Oh shit!" Ashley cursed for one of the few times in her life. "I think it's-!" Before she could finish her sentence, a large section of the store was ripped open. A brown-skinned roaring Tyrannosaurus Rex burst through. He was immediately followed by a multitude of dinosaurs of all sizes and colors. 

"Should we move?!" Tanya cried. The ground was shaking as hard as if they were in the midst of an earthquake. Suddenly, a Brachiosaurus came charging down through the center of the store, headed for the players. 

"Jump!" Ashley urged. Astronema scooped the game up and leapt off of the counter, plunging into the water. Zack and Tanya jumped the other direction as the dark green herbivore stomped through their counters. All four players were pushed underwater, and the pull of the Brachiosaurus on the water yanked them out of the store behind him with the flood of water. 

Astronema struggled to get above the water, but it was moving so fast, both from the water leaving the store of its own volition and the force from the dinosaurs, she wasn't able to. However, before she could get panicked about it, her feet began to drag along the pavement and her head easily rose above the water. She sucked in a deep breath, and upon resurfacing, she realized she didn't have the game. 

The stampede of dinosaurs was quickly tearing through the city, destroying more buildings, but for now, they were gone. However, like all dangers of Jumanji, they could and would return at the most inopportune moment. "I lost the game!" Astronema cried, leaping to her feet. "We have to find it!" 

"Back to action," Ashley whispered to herself. Her yellow helmet reappeared on her head, and she instantly shouted, "Power Scan!" A holographic image of a digital camera appeared in the black holo-screen on her helmet, and she began to sweep her gaze across the ruins of the department store. "Found it!" 

"Come on," Astronema insisted, herding Zack and Tanya after her. "Let's finish this stupid game." 

"I thought you were in it for your own selfish reasons?" Tanya muttered to herself. 

"I am, but it's not going to do me much good if I get killed," Astronema answered smartly. The trio finally reached Ashley who had just dug the game out from under a pile of rubble. She opened the game and quickly shook the water out of it. "I rolled doubles," Astronema told Ashley, picking up the dice. She quickly shook the dice together in her hand and then tossed them onto the board. "Six." Her token quickly slid much closer to Jumanji as she read, "The curse has passed, you best beware, the head they want has purple hair." As she read the last two words, her expression quickly changed. "What does that mean?" 

"The headhunters that were after me," Tanya realized. "Astronema, they're after you now." 

Ashley's hand suddenly darted up, prompting a scream from the other three players. Clenched tightly in her morphed fist was a crude arrow, stopped just a few inches from Astronema's chest. She had caught it in mid-flight. "Run!" Zack cried. Another arrow flew past them, narrowly missing her. With a scream, Astronema leapt to her feet. The headhunters rushed past the other three players, paying them no mind. 

"They don't care about us," Zack realized. He ran after Astronema and the headhunters, hoping that his hunch was right. 

"Roll Ashley," Tanya encouraged. "We might be finished after Astronema's next roll." 

"Right," Ashley agreed, still fully morphed. She quickly tossed the dice, and they added up to eight. "Eight," she read as her alligator moved along the board. The words slowly began to float up into the circle, and she read them as they appeared. "In the jungle you must wait... until the dice... read five or eight." 

"Huh?" Tanya asked. Before Ashley could reply, wind began to blow around them. 

"Tanya!" Ashley cried. She lifted her hands up and screamed. The very molecules that were composing her body were scattering. Her fingers lengthened before they broke into tiny beads of white that began to swirl aboard the game board with the same eerie wind following her. Her entire body began to break apart, leaving only her screaming. 

"Ashley!" Tanya screeched as the yellow, black, and white particles began to swirl around her. A funnel cloud formed above the board, centered on the green circle in its center. Still screaming, Ashley's particles entered the green circle. As soon as the last entered the board, everything was silent. "Ashley!" Tanya screamed again. "Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God! ZACK!!!" She picked up Jumanji, slammed it shut, and ran after the other two players who had long since disappeared into the night.   
  


* * *

  


"I think we lost 'em," Zack sighed as he caught up to Astronema. 

"Look at this city," Astronema sighed. Wreckage was everywhere. The stampedes had long since passed, but their trail was still visible. 

"You guys!" Tanya shouted, prompting a cry of alarm from both Astronema and Zack. 

"Where's Ashley?" Astronema asked, sounding genuinely concerned. 

"The game got her," Tanya answered. "She rolled, and the thing said, 'In the jungle you must wait until the dice read five or eight' and it pulled her into that green circle!" 

"Until the dice read five or eight," Zack repeated. "We just gotta make the dice read five or eight. Maybe I'll get one." He took the game from Tanya and opened it on the ground. Hoping for one of the two numbers, he tossed the dice. "Four," he muttered. "In the night they swoop and fly, they're on you in the blink of an eye." 

Far off, numerous screechings and squeals sounded. "What do you think it is?" Astronema asked. 

"It's bats," Tanya answered through clenched teeth. "Come on, let's get out of here before they show up." 

"Too late," Zack said calmly. He pointed up at a dense cloud of brown bats flying down at them. 

"Indoors!" Astronema cried as the bats were upon them. She waved her arms above her head, trying to beat the creatures away. Tanya picked up the game and put it above her head as she ran out of the street. She felt fur, skin, and nails alike brushing against her skin as she ran to get away from the cloud of bats. 

Astronema ran up to a small shop and pointed her staff at the lock. A concentrated beam of yellow light shone from the point and entered the lock. The door swung open, and the three players bolted inside. Zack slammed the door shut as the bats began to beat themselves against the glass. 

"Stupid game," Tanya muttered, slamming it angrily down on the closest counter. 

"Your roll," Zack said. He looked up in time to see Tanya run over to the fire extinguisher case in the wall. "Tanya?" She grabbed the stick attached to the case and smashed the glass. She removed the red axe from the case and stomped over to the counter. 

"Tanya?" Astronema asked warily. The former Yellow Ranger raised the axe above her head and brought it down in the center of the game, smashing it. 

"Tanya!" Zack cried. "What are you doing?!" 

Rather than answer, she slammed the axe into the game again, sending shards of wood raining down on both sides of the counter. "Tanya, what did you do that for?" Astronema asked. 

"I'm trying to get Ashley out," Tanya answered in a monotone. "If we can't beat the game, we'll just destroy it." Suddenly, the pieces of the game burst into bright flames. The flames quickly formed a giant fireball, and it quickly subsided, leaving the intact game on the counter. 

"It's a magical game, Tanya," Zack reminded her. "I doubt we can destroy it. Go ahead and roll. That's the way we can get Ashley out." 

Tanya said nothing as she picked up the dice and tossed them onto the board. "Three," she read. However, her token didn't move. "What's this?" Words began to appear in the circle, though. "A rule of Jumanji hath been broken, you will slip back even more than your token." 

"You cheated," Astronema translated, "so your token isn't going to move." She scooped up the dice and began to shake them in her hand. 

"Look at my hands!" Tanya cried, lifting them up before her. Her index and middle fingers on both hands were stuck together as though they were growing together. 

"Three," Astronema said as her dice clattered to a halt. "They move in quiet beneath the ground, you better not make a sound." 

"Worms?" Zack asked. 

"What's happening to me?" Tanya asked, bending her fingers. The first two fingers of both of her hands were merging into one, wide finger. 

"Listen," Astronema whispered. The three were silent for a moment. A faint but distinct rumbling could be heard beneath them. Slowly, the floor began to buckle beneath their feet. 

"What do you think it is?" Zack asked, stepping away as a bulge lifted him up into the air. 

"Homemade monster," Tanya theorized. She closed the game and tucked it under her arm as the counter was tilted on its side. 

"It's like a nightmare in slow motion," Astronema sighed. The floor began to creak and groan. The entire building suddenly shifted off of its foundation, causing white plaster dust to rain down on them. 

Though the pace had been slow, it suddenly increased to a lightning speed when a giant white bone-spike burst up through the carpet. A gargantuan bulge was beneath it, and the creature the spike was attached to moved toward Astronema. The beast was underground, but the spike tore through the floor and carpeting of the building. Astronema leapt out of the way and darted toward the door. Zack and Tanya were right behind her. 

They ran out onto the sidewalk when another spike shot up through the pavement of the street. The three stopped moving and huddled together. "What do we do?" Zack asked. As if that was the cue, the spike darted toward them, tearing through the street. 

"Break up!" Tanya cried. She and Astronema bolted for one direction while Zack ran the other. The spike could only go in one direction, and it opted to follow Astronema and Tanya. However, before Zack could truly think he was temporarily safe, another spike burst up nearly right before him. With a cry of alarm, he backpedaled as the spike moved for him. Suddenly, the creature the spike was attached to leapt out of the pavement, sending large blocks of asphalt tumbling to the ground. 

The beast had dark red scaly skin. Its body was long and low, and eight legs lined its underbelly. Its head was wide and tall, and the mouth stretched from one ear to the other, filled with crooked, sharp teeth. A large spike was atop its head, although it wasn't set as a horn. It was more of an appendage, which the beast could move via a long tendril of flesh. "You sure don't look very sociable," Zack complained to himself. He slowly backed away from the Jumanji beast, which tilted its head to one side to examine its newest victim. It opened its mouth once, revealing even more teeth and a thin reptilian tongue. 

_God help me,_ Zack prayed. The beast lowered its belly, anxiously moving its legs back and forth. Zack realized in horror that it was about to spring for him, and there was no way he could get away in time. 

Just as it was about to leap off of the pavement, a thunderous roar filled the air. Both Zack and the creature looked up to see a twenty-foot tall Tyrannosaurus Rex clamp down on it. The creature began to bellow in anger, thrashing its legs and spike frantically, as the T. Rex tilted its head back. The carnivorous dinosaur opened his mouth wider and chomped down, sending thick, dark blood splattering to the ground below. Despite the horrific sight before him, Zack was tremendously relieved. By all rights, he should have been the subterranean beast's next meal. 

"Come on!" Astronema cried, seizing Zack by the arm. 

"The dinosaur herd is coming this way!" Tanya shouted. 

"The game!" 

"I've got it!" Tanya said, flashing the board game at Zack. The three then darted off down a side alley as the herd of dinosaurs rumbled toward them. They reached the end of the alley and then turned to the right. At that moment, the first of the dinosaur herd, a gigantic, off-green Ultrasauruses, similar to the Brachiosaurus only near twice as tall, tore through the buildings. Debris rained down all around them, but miraculously, none of the three players was struck. 

The first Ultrasaurus ran past them, pounding the ground with such force that it was hard for the humans to keep their footing. Her tail was swinging with her momentum. "Duck!" Astronema cried, glancing back in time to see the dinosaur's tail swinging for them. She dropped to the ground as Tanya and Zack both revealed remarkable trust for the space villainness and fell to their knees. The heavy appendage swooped over them; the air displacement from it sent Tanya onto her backside. 

"This way!" Zack cried as a thin, lavender Gallimimus leapt past him. He turned to see a gigantic herd of the plant-eating although currently stampeding dinosaurs right behind him. Astronema and Tanya ran with Zack to a long stairway that led up to a higher elevation of the business district. After three flights of the stairs, they came across the fountain. 

"We're safe here," Tanya said. The dinosaur herd, mingled with some of the first stampede of normal animals, was still swarming below them. 

"It would be Ashley's turn," Astronema sighed as Tanya opened the game. She caught a glimpse of the former Ranger's fingers, and she saw that her middle and index fingers had merged into one, thick finger, as had her ring and pinky fingers. Her thumb was also changing, giving her two wide fingers and a wide, deformed thumbed on each hand. Tanya looked at Astronema, and she also saw that ridges were beginning to protrude over Tanya's eyebrows. "Your face, Tanya," Astronema said. "You're changing all over." 

"My hands," Tanya sighed. "Oh God, I'm turning into the Elephant-Woman!" 

"Let's play this game as FAST as we can," Zack said. "We don't stop, no matter what comes out. We play fast, and we might get done here in just a few seconds." Pointing to Astronema, he said, "You might be done after this next turn." 

Astronema said nothing. She knew he was right, but somehow, things didn't seem right to her. She was no longer playing for her seemingly selfish reasons. Instead, she was playing because she was needed. She didn't understand it, but she did manage to nod in agreement. Tanya set the game down on the edge of the fountain. Something suddenly tickled her upper lip, and she quickly lifted a stubby finger up to her face. She peered over the edge of the fountain, and much to her horror, her nose had just unfurled into an elephant trunk. "Let's finish up, Zack," Tanya whined. "I'm afraid I'm gonna look like this forever." 

"Right," Zack agreed. 

"The plants," Astronema said, pointing to the steps. The poisonous rapidly growing plants from Ashley's first roll were slithering across the stairs. 

Zack rolled the dice. They tumbled together, finally stopping on five and four. "Nine," he said. As soon as they stopped moving, Astronema cried out in alarm. Zack kept his attention on the game board, but Tanya turned to look at the purple-haired villain. A white glow of light began to surround her body, and she got up from the fountain's edge to hurry over to her. "Astronema? What's happening?" 

"A single bite will make you itch," Zack read from the circle, "make you squirm, make you twitch." His token stopped just four short spaces from Jumanji as a loud buzzing came from the sky. He looked up in time to see a mosquito the size of a tennis ball dart for him. He threw himself backwards, painfully jamming his funny bone against a concrete step. 

"Astronema, what's happening?!" Tanya cried. The woman had stopped screaming, and she was now completely covered with a cocoon of white light. It suddenly subsided, vanishing even more quickly than it had arrived. Astronema sucked in a panicked breath. Her purple hair immediately changed. It became brownish-blonde and straight. 

"Oh dear God, what have I done?" she asked. 

"Astronema?" Tanya asked. 

"No, not Astronema," she said. "Karone. The evil just left." 

"You guys!" Zack cried, swatting a large mosquito away. "What happened to you?" 

"The evil just left me!" Karone cried. "Astronema was produced from the first roll of the dice. I've spent the last twelve years of my life serving evil because of this stupid game!!" A mosquito suddenly dove her for, and Karone grabbed her now power-less staff and knocked it away. "Tanya! Roll the dice!" 

"Right!" Tanya agreed. She ran over to the still opened game and picked up the dice with her large, uncooperative fingers. She dropped them to the board, and a two and three, five, quickly turned up. "There is a lesson, you must learn," she read as the message appeared in the circle. A thought suddenly occurred to her, and she cried out, "Ashley!" Yanking her attention back to the circle to see what the board was going to deliver, she read, "There is a lesson you must learn, sometimes you must go back a turn." The buzzing immediately stopped as the mosquitoes turned to stone. Karone and Zack covered their heads as the petrified insects dropped to the pavement. 

The water in the fountain was suddenly disturbed, and a white gloved hand raised up from the water and latched onto the side. "Ashley!" Tanya cried, hurrying over to the fountain. She grabbed Ashley's hand and hauled the morphed teen, though missing a helmet, from the shallow water. "Are you okay?" 

"I am now," Ashley sighed happily as she tried to catch her breath. "Who rolled a five or eight?" 

"I did," Tanya said. Ashley then caught sight of her face. 

"Tanya?" 

"Stupid curse," Tanya said, lifting her trunk slightly. 

Karone walked over to the fountain and knelt beside the game. She said nothing as she counted out the spaces with her finger. "If I roll an eight," she said thoughtfully. 

"What happened to your hair?" Ashley asked. 

"Zack rolled a nine, and my evil curse was lifted," Karone said. "My name is Karone again." 

"You're Andros' sister?" Ashley asked in disbelief. Karone nodded as she tossed the dice onto the playing surface. 

"Only a four," Zack said sympathetically. Her rhinoceros moved to three spaces shy of Jumanji as words began to appear in the circle. 

"Beware the ground on which you stand," Karone read, "the floor is quicker than the sand." Suddenly, the ground beneath her turned into quicksand. With a cry of alarm, she sank up to her waist. 

"Astronema!" Ashley cried. Tanya closed the game up and darted backwards. 

"Don't move, Karone," Zack said. 

"I'm not moving," she said nervously. Even staying completely still, however, she was slowly inching her way beneath the quicksand. The circle of magical quicksand around her was so broad that no one could get close enough to rescue her. 

"Galaxy Glider! Hang ten!" Ashley cried. Yellow light streaked down from the sky and materialized into her yellow hoverboard. She hopped up onto it, lying on her stomach, and it slowly moved over to hover above the quicksand. "Take my hand," Ashley instructed. Karone stretched a gloved hand up to Ashley's hand. Ashley stretched her left arm down the other side and blindly extended it down to Karone. Karone took her hand, and the Galaxy Glider lifted up under Ashley's mental control. The quick sand clutched at Karone, but a few seconds later, she was pulled free. 

"Set her down quick, Ashley," Tanya told her. "Your next roll could end it." 

"The plants are getting closer," Zack said. Then, with a scream, he added, "And so are the spiders!" 

Ashley lowered the Galaxy Glider back down until Karone's feet were resting on the ground. As soon as Ashley let go of her hands, she floated away on the Galaxy Glider. However, the ground beneath her feet liquefied again, and Karone sank once more. Ashley turned back to the Galaxy Glider, but Karone shouted, "Roll!" 

"The game," Tanya said, holding it open in her arms. Ashley grabbed the dice and tossed it onto the board. As soon as the dice cleared her fingertips, she leapt back to the Galaxy Glider. She lowered it to just a few inches clear of the pavement and hovered right beside Karone. 

"It's obvious I can't pull myself free," Karone said. 

"I'm just gonna float here so you can hang on," Ashley told her. 

"You got a six, Ashley," Zack said. "You're one shy." 

Suddenly, a plant bloom near Zack flew open. The sudden flash of pink from the plant's inner bloom caught his attention. He turned toward the plant, and four poison-tipped barbs shot out at him. They pierced his flesh at the base of his throat, immediately dumping a powerful dose of toxins into his system. 

"You're almost there with much at lot," Tanya read, "but now the ground is getting hot." 

"Zack!" Karone cried. 

"I'm okay," Zack insisted as he pulled the four barbs from his neck. 

Fierce bubbling came from the fountain. Tanya turned to see the water boiling. She then noticed that the ground beneath her feet was incredibly hot. "Zack! It's your roll!" Tanya cried. He moved toward her, but then his eyes glassed over and he fell to the ground. 

"Zack!" Ashley cried. 

"The ground is heating!" Karone shrieked suddenly. Ashley reached down to her, and grabbing her by one hand, she pulled Karone out of the quicksand and onto the Galaxy Glider. 

"Stay still so it doesn't tip over on you," Ashley told her. She leapt off of the Galaxy Glider and hurried over to Zack. She scooped him into her arms, relying on the strength she possessed even in stand-by morphed mode. 

"He has to roll!" Tanya cried, her trunk flapping wildly as she spoke. 

"Bring the game over here," Ashley said. She set Zack on his feet and leaned him against her body. Tanya took the dice from the board and placed them in Zack's uncooperative hand. Taking hold of him by the wrist, she flicked the dice out of his hand without touching them. They tumbled to the board, landing on a combined total of three, and then his token began to move. 

"All right, Zack," Ashley muttered. She mentally commanded the Galaxy Glider to move toward her. As soon as it did, Karone tipped off of it, plunging completely beneath the quicksand that immediately formed beneath her. "Karone!" 

"One shy again," Tanya complained. Not too far from them, a thunderous venting sound roared through the air. A tall plume of lava shot out of the earth, incinerating anything in its path. She turned her gaze to the circle where the words were beginning to appear. "The night is dark," she began. 

Ashley stretched Zack's unconscious form out on the Galaxy Glider. She then got herself on the edge and stretched down into the quicksand. She rummaged in the supernatural substance until she felt Karone's arm. Grabbing ahold of it, she pulled her fellow player out. Karone sucked in a deep breath of air as her upper torso cleared the quicksand. 

"The night is dark, the lightning bright," Tanya continued, a short distance away. The lava continued to shoot out of the just opened chasm in the earth. A growl sounded behind her, and she turned to see a lion just one flight of stairs up from her. 

Suddenly, the Galaxy Glider flipped on its side. Karone and Ashley both cried in alarm. Karone plunged completely beneath the quicksand again as Zack fell on top of her. Both disappeared beneath the sidewalk, but Ashley kept one hand tightly clenched on a handhold at the edge of her Galaxy Glider. 

"The night is dark, the lightning bright, this may be your final night," Tanya finished. Suddenly, lightning streaked across the sky, immediately followed by a roar of thunder that put the volcano to shame. The lion continued to slowly walk down the stairs, eyeing Tanya as his next meal. 

Ashley quickly struggled to the top of her Galaxy Glider and then lowered it, once more, down to the sidewalk. She thrust her arms beneath the quicksand, struggling to find an article of clothing or limb that she could grab onto. Her fingertips brushed against a shoulder, and she quickly hauled up on it. 

Large, fat drops of rain began to fall from the sky. Tanya warily picked up the dice. She had eight spaces to go. Should she roll a nine or greater, the game was over. The lion emitted a sharp, short roar and moved even closer. 

"Zack," Ashley acknowledged as she pulled the teen from the quicksand. She quickly drug him out of it and laid him down on the sidewalk. It was quickly overheating, but she had nowhere else to put him. She then returned back to get Karone out. Rain was now streaming from the sky in a torrential downpour. 

Tanya casually picked up the dice and dropped them onto the game board. The lion growled again and walked closer. Tanya looked down at the dice. A smile came to her face as her token began to move. "Ten," she said firmly. She turned to look at the lion who had stopped advancing on her. Glancing back at the game board, she saw one, large word forming in the circle. Her gray elephant token reached the last space and slid onto the green circle. "Jumanji," she said firmly. 

Lights began to flash all around them. Tanya clamped her hands over her ears as horrific winds began to circle around her. She became deaf to everything except the howling wind. 

Ashley finally found Karone and pulled her out of the quicksand. "What's happening?!" Karone cried. 

"I don't know!" Ashley yelled. A puff of wind came up underneath her Galaxy Glider and tipped it over backwards. However, before she hit the ground, the light and wind overwhelmed her, and she temporarily lost all touch with reality.   
  


* * *

  


When it returned, Ashley found herself kneeling beside the open game of Jumanji. Karone with brownish-blonde hair sat to her right, Zack to her left, and Tanya opposite her. Ashley glanced down at the game board and saw that all of the game pieces were now lying on their side. The circle was dark, and the entire city was calm. "We did it," Ashley sighed to herself. 

"My face!" Tanya cried happily after discovering that her deformed hands and trunk were gone. 

"History has been altered," Karone said. "It's like I was never evil. Do you sense it?" Glancing down at her body, she saw that she was no longer wearing black and silver armor but a pair of jeans and a green blouse. 

Ashley closed her eyes, and then she saw that the history had, in fact, changed. She now possessed one clear set of memories, what had actually happened to her the first time, and an addendum that told her what had know happened. Before she began to run through the changes, she looked down at her body. No longer was she encased in the Yellow Space Armor. Her armor was now plain yellow, and there was a large white diamond on her chest with a golden coin bearing the image of a Saber-Tooth Tiger buried in it.   
  


* * *

  


Astronema never existed, because once the game ended, it was as though it were never played and Karone never became evil. That simple change set off a domino-reactino that was going to have effects for centuries. She and Andros lived a normal life on KO-35, until the migration off of the planet. The two siblings moved to a planet called Earth in 1996. 

But before that, on Earth, a man named Zordon created a team of Power Rangers to fight an evil named Rita Repulsa and her armies. He gave five teenagers, Jason Scott, Billy Cranston, Zack Taylor, Kimberly Hart, and Trini Kwan, the powers of the Tyrannosaurus, Triceratops, Mastodon, Pterodactyl, and Saber-Tooth Tiger respectively. Later, an evil Green Ranger by the name of Tommy came on the scene, but they soon dispensed of his evil spell, and the prophesied sixth Green Ranger joined the team for good. 

Rita Repulsa tried to recapture the Green Ranger for her own army with a wax candle, but the Black and Red Rangers successfully destroyed the Green Candle. Once the threat of the candle was gone, Green Ranger was forever to serve the side of good. The side of evil could no longer call on the Green Ranger. 

Early summer of 1994, Lord Zedd arrived. He banished Rita Repulsa and attempted to destroy the DinoZords. However, his efforts were in vain, and the Power Rangers triumphed. It was for this reason that the ThunderZords were never created. 

In late 1994, Jason, Zack, and Trini were called to serve the planet in a different manner. Rocky DeSantos, Adam Park, and Aisha Campbell were called to take their places on the team as the Red, Black, and Yellow Rangers. 

Rita Repulsa eventually showed back up, and she did indeed marry Lord Zedd. Ivan Ooze was also unearthed. However, in a pre-emptive strike, Dulcea and Ninjor brought the NinjaZords. They easily defeated Ivan Ooze, and later, when Rito Revolto arrived, the NinjaZords could not be defeated. This gave the Rangers two sets of Zords, the DinoZords and the NinjaZords. 

Everything else was stable until the fall of 1995 when Kimberly was given a wonderful opportunity. She left the team to pursue her dream of gymnastics competition. In her place, Katherine Hillard joined the team. 

Less than a month later, Aisha Campbell received an opportunity of her own. Via her work in the animal shelter, she received news of an Animal Help Program in a tribe in Africa. After learning that her Aunt Ashala oversaw the program, she decided to join. Her parents stayed in Angel Grove, enabling Aisha to return as often as she liked. However, there was no way she could be a Power Ranger and still live in Africa. Before she left, she sought out her own replacement. 

A young woman by the name of Tanya Sloan had just moved to Angel Grove with her parents. They had just returned from Mysterio Island with the Lost Tiki of Auric, a find so great that the Sloan family was forever renowned in archeological circles. They knew they could never top finding the Lost Tiki of Auric, so they retired. Aisha chose Tanya as her replacement. 

The Machine Empire never arrived on Earth. They instead opted to attack Triforia. Zordon had Tommy and Katherine retrieve the Zeo Crystal from the Caves of Deception. This was sent to Triforia, where it was reunited with the Golden Zeo Crystal on Triforia. Their team of six Rangers battle with the Machine Empire to this day. 

Kimberly and Tommy did indeed break-up. However, she didn't send him a letter. She took the man who had won over Tommy in her heart to speak to her with Tommy. Much to his horror, that man was Billy. However, Tommy was a good man, and he even continued to be both of their friends. As time passed, he found himself falling for Katherine, who returned the feeling. 

In fall of 1996, Andros and Karone of KO-35 journeyed to Earth. Andros was the sole protector of the Power of KO-35. Their planet had just been evacuated as it's natural resources were depleted. The people of KO-35 went to various planets around the universe. As the protector of the Power of KO-35, Andros opted to journey to Earth. There, Zordon combined his Blue, Pink, Red, Yellow, and Black Powers into one White Power. A Power Coin was created, and Andros joined the team as the White Ranger, guided by the White Tiger. 

After graduation, Zordon gave the team the opportunity to move on in life. Billy had been fighting since the fight began, four years ago. He elected a very young man named Justin Harold Stewart to take his place as the Blue Ranger. Rocky picked a young man named TJ Andrews as Red Ranger. Carlos Robert Vargas replaced Adam as Black Ranger, and Tanya selected Ashley Jade Hammond for her position as the Yellow Ranger. Katherine chose Cassie Crimson Chan to succeed her as the Pink Ranger, while Tommy picked Andros' sister Karone to wear the armor of Green Ranger. 

Only Billy left Angel Grove, however. He moved to Florida to be with Kimberly. Adam, who had never dated Tanya in the new timeline, ended up dating Ashley, despite the fact that she was a high school sophomore and he a college freshman. That was the only unfortunate deviation from the timeline. Tanya would forever live with the memories of loving and being loved by a man who did not feel the same way towards her. 

Outside the realm of the Power Rangers, a few other things changed as well. Among them, the Youth Center never disappeared. Ernie never left for the Amazon, although he did take Adelle on as a co-partner. 

As of April 1998, the fight against Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa continues. Divatox had recently arrived, and her empire merged with Zedd and Rita's. However, there was a team of seven Power Rangers standing between them and the Earth. No one had any intention of letting evil win.   
  


* * *

  


As the deluge of new memories subsided, Ashley looked over at Tanya. "I'm so sorry," Ashley sighed. "I didn't-" 

"It's not your fault, Ashley," Tanya assured her. "Things just happened to turn out different." 

"I can't believe I'm a Power Ranger now," Karone sighed. 

"You should Power Down," Zack told Ashley. "We're in public." 

Just as Ashley's armor fell off of her body in yellow sparks of light, her communicator beeped. Ashley warily lifted the communicator to her mouth. She almost said Dimitria's name, but then she paused. "Ashley here." 

"Ashley," Alpha Five said, "you and Karone need to hurry to the park. A flock of Tengas is making trouble! Morph and get over there!" 

"What about the game?" Karone asked. "Shouldn't we do something with it?" 

"We'll take care of it," Zack said. "You two go ahead." 

"It looks clear," Ashley said as she stood to her feet. 

"I'm not really sure what to do," Karone groaned. 

"You'll do okay," Ashley said with a smile. "It's Morphin Time!" 

"Green Dragon!!!" Karone shouted. 

"Saber-Tooth Tiger!!!" Ashley yelled. The two immediately morphed into their respective armor and then teleported away in green and yellow light. 

"This day sure has turned out differently than I would have expected," Zack muttered. He picked up two of the tokens and carefully placed them back in their compartment. 

"Don't let them hit the board," Tanya warned. "I don't care to get in another mess like that." 

"I'm really sorry about what happened to you and Adam." 

"Thanks," Tanya sighed. "You know, it's weird, but... it feels right, this way. Like this is the way it was supposed to be." 

"What do we do with Jumanji?" Zack asked. As he closed the lid, the drums began to pound again. 

"I suggest we bury it deep underground," Tanya said firmly.   
  


* * *

  


Zack tamped the dirt down on top of the deep pit. Jumanji was currently resting about six feet underground in a locked chest filled with sand and rocks. "Glad that's over and done with," Tanya said. 

"It certainly was an adventure and a half, wasn't it?" Zack smiled. 

"It certainly was," Tanya said. "So, you ready to head back into town?" 

"Yeah," Zack nodded. "I can't believe Billy and Kimberly ended up together." 

"I guess this is the way things were supposed to have turned out," Tanya acknowledged. "Hard to believe that one person not being evil made such a change." 

"I'm glad I got to meet you tonight," Zack said, somewhat nervously. 

"Yeah, I'm glad I got to meet you," Tanya agreed. As the two walked back to Tanya's blazer, she slipped her inside hand into his. "Things turned out pretty good." 

"So, you doing anything tonight?" Zack asked as they walked farther and farther away from Jumanji. 

Lights flashed far off in the distance as the DinoMegaZord destroyed one of Zedd and Rita's monsters. Zack and Tanya paused by her blazer. The DinoMegaZord, DragonZord, and TigerZord all stood in a circle, victorious. "It's been a long time since I've seen any of those Zords," Zack sighed. "A very long time." 

"Let's go back to Angel Grove," Tanya told him. Zack flashed her a smile, and the two teenagers climbed into the blazer and drove off. 

The game of Jumanji lay underground. The drums pounded frantically, but then they stopped. The game would wait in silence, because it knew that one day, someone would find it. On that day, the inhabitants of the jungles of Jumanji would be released again. 

### The End


End file.
